I posted a quick comment on Pacific Paratrooper’s post Smitty’s Guard Duty – Letter XVI and decided to turn it into a post.
During officer cadet training in the Special Constabulary (the national service arm of the police force), I was rostered as duty officer at the Buona Vista training camp. That was a twenty-four hour stint and most of the regular officers were known to take a nap at night. But I was new, young and all fired up.
Therefore, I decided to do the rounds at night. Even back then, I welcomed the peace and quiet and Buona Vista in the 1970s was among the less developed parts of Singapore.
I came upon a 2-man guard detail at one of the more remote posts where the perimeter fence bordered a small forest. They were young guys, destined for beat patrol, and no older than me. Their faces were as white as newly laundered sheets.
They had seen an apparition. A woman had appeared to them and disappeared. Both of them have had the vision on separate occasions that night. She had come upon the first guy while he, too lazy to trudge back to the toilets, was taking a leak in the bushes. His bladders froze up. About the same time, the second sentry in the tiny post had seen a woman approach. He had panicked, shut the glass door and hid under the table. I could not figure out how that helped but that’s another story.
Seeing how agitated they were, I spent the watch with them until the relief guard arrived. I ordered the guys not to spook the new comers and the three of us walked back a little way. Then, I took the turn to continue with my rounds and saw the fear return to their eyes. But I decided they had to bite the bullet and get over it. The following day, under bright sunlight, they seemed none the worse but sheepishly thanked me.
When I mentioned the incident to the Sergeant-at-Arms, an old timer, he was quite nonchalant.
‘Oh, that was Lucy,’ he said. ‘And trust me, you don’t want to put it in the log.’
Yes, they even had a name for her.
Care to share your stories about the supernatural?
*** Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018 ***